Police, fire choppers call Fullerton home

A raging fire spreads swiftly through brush, threatening a tract of homes. A helicopter swoops in and drops water to douse the flames.

A bank robber weaves through a neighborhood at high speeds with police cars giving chase. A police helicopter watches every turn from the air.

An injured hiker lays helpless in a remote ravine, unreachable by vehicles. A chopper hoists the hiker to safety.

Whether putting out fires, chasing bad guys or airlifting accident victims, it’s likely these helicopters started their mission from the city-owned Fullerton Airport.

Orange County’s only municipal airport is the home base for helicopters belonging to the Orange County Fire Authority, Anaheim Police Department, California Highway Patrol and Mercy Air, a private company that offers medical transports.

Between the four agencies, 10 public-service helicopters are based at the 86-acre airfield.

What makes Fullerton a desirable location?

Service helicopters get first priority at Fullerton, unlike John Wayne Airport where emergency aircraft could lose precious seconds waiting their turn to take off behind commercial planes.

“We get preferential treatment from the tower here,” said Jim Davidson, 67, an OCFA fire pilot. “If we say ‘fire dispatch,’ I’ve seen them turn airplanes around, do 360s, hold them on the ground, stop them from take-off and tell us to go.”

Mercy Air, which has 18 aircraft spread through California and Nevada, has an operating radius of 150 miles from its Fullerton base. It’s essentially an ambulance in the sky business.

“We can fly anywhere in that area pretty easily,” Bill Baker, regional business director for Mercy Air.

The arrangement benefits the city, as well. Agencies pay fees for space. For example, OCFA pays the city $69,980 annually for hangar space and Anaheim police pays $61,200.

Airport manager Brendan O'Reilly said some people don’t realize that the airport, founded in 1927, is home to public safety aircraft.

“It’s cool to see people’s gears turning when you tell them that law enforcement is based out of here,” said O’Reilly, who took over as manager in May.